Evaluation of CIMMYT conventional and synthetic spring wheat germplasm in rainfed sub-tropical environments. II. Grain yield components and physiological traits

CIMMYT hexaploid spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germplasm has played a global role in assisting wheat improvement. This study evaluated four classes of CIMMYT germplasm (encompassing a total of 273 lines), along with 15 Australian cultivars (Oz lines) for grain yield, yield components and physiological traits in up to 27 environments in Australia's north-eastern region, where terminal drought frequently reduces grain yield and grain size.Broadly-adapted CIMMYT germplasm selected for grain yield had greater yield potential and improved performance under drought stress, being up to 5% greater yielding in High-yielding (mean yield 429 g m−2) and 4–10% greater yielding than adapted Oz lines in Low-yielding environments (mean yield 185 g m−2). Whilst maintaining statistically similar harvest index and spikes m−2 compared to broadly-adapted Oz lines across all environments, sets of selected CIMMYT lines had greater canopy temperature depression (0.18–0.27 °C), dry weight stem−1 (0.20–0.37 g), increased grains spike−1 (0.8–3.4 grains), grain number m−2 (ca. 20–800 grains), and maturity biomass (56–83 g m−2). Compared to selected Oz lines, broadly-adapted CIMMYT lines had a smaller reduction in Low compared to High-yielding environments for these traits, especially dry weight stem−1, such that CIMMYT lines had ca. 25% and 10% greater dry weight stem−1 than the Oz lines in Low- and High-yielding environment groups, respectively. Broadly-adapted CIMMYT germplasm also had slightly higher stem water soluble carbohydrate concentration at anthesis (ca. 6 mg g−1), which contributed to their higher grain weight (ca. 0.5 mg grain−1), and maintained an agronomically appropriate time to anthesis and plant height. Thus current CIMMYT germplasm should be useful donor sources of traits to enrich breeding programs targeting variable production environments where there is a high probability of water deficit during grain filling. However, as multiple traits were important, efficient introgression of these traits in breeding programs will be complex.

► 273 CIMMYT wheat lines compared to 15 Australian cultivars in up to 27 environments.
► Elite CIMMYT lines had greater yield potential and adaptation to drought stress.
► Elite CIMMYT lines had increased biomass, weight stem−1, grains spike−1 and m−2.
► Elite CIMMYT lines had similar harvest index, plant height and time to anthesis.
► Potentially useful donor germplasm for breeding in terminal drought environments.